Railway rail movement restraining means



l July 23, 1935. H ARMSTRONG 2,008,940

RAILWAY RAIL MOVEMENT RESTRAINING MEANS Filed Feb. l, 1952 INyENToR as FIG. 3. 23 HENRYARMsTRoNG.

- ATTORNEY l Patented July 23, 193s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to improvements in i means for restraining the movement of railway rails in one or' more directions, and the primary object ofthe invention is to, provide means con- 5. nected tov a railway tie or other structure underlying a rail and adapted to overlie'the rail base to restrain upward movement of the rail relatively to said underlying means.

A further object is to provide means connected with. a'railway tie orother structure underlying a rail and adapted to press down upon the uppersurface of the rail base, thereby to restrainboth upwardand longitudinal movement o f the rail relatively to the underlying structure.

A still further object is to provide means connected to a railway tie or other structure adaptedto underlie a rail, -said means being releasably held to said underlying structure in either operative or inoperative position and adjustable from operative to inoperative position and vice versa without adjustment of the means securing it to the underlying structure, thereby-to permit assembly of the tie and rail holding means prior to incorporation in a track and also'to facilitate replacement of rails and ties in service.

Another object is to provide rail holding means projecting but slightly above a tie plate and rail and being preferably in surface contact with the plate and rail, whereby the holding means is protected against damage by derailed wheels or dragy, ging rolling stock equipment.

Still another object is to provide resilient rail movement restraining means in which the resilient members are of substantially uniform cross section throughout their lengths and characterized by absence of apertures or notches, whereby y the maximum strength or freedom from breakage is obtained with a minimum amount of metal. An additional object is to provide resilient rail.

movement restraining means in which the resilient members are free of sharp bends and -loops which would tend to induce breakage and would complicate manufacture.

A further additional object is to provide rail movement restraining means movable transversely of a rail from operative to inoperative position and vice versa, and adapted for operative engagement between a. pair of fastening members and for operative engagement with a tie plate in such wise that the holding means Ais held positively against rotative movement and against movement in the direction of rail length relatively jto' a tie whereby said member will be very eective in 'restraining longitudinal movement of a rail.

A lfurther additional object isl vprovide rail movement restraining means including a holding member anchored in such wise that it may be adjusted transversely of a rail into and out of operative position and which is constrained in leither of said positions against accidental dis-- f placement. a

- A further additional object is to provide rau' movement restraining means adapted for assembly to a tie or equivalent and for sliding movement from inoperative to operative position, and vice versa, without'adjustment of the fastening means establishing the assembly to a tie.

A further additional object is to provide rail movement restraining means including a tie plate of substantially normal form an'd free from upstanding ribs additional to those defining the rail seat and which may be easily manufactured by customary rolling methods, the said 'tie'plate havsurface formation adapted for co-operation the lever against the aforesaid immovable support, whereby the lever is positively constrained against dislodgment from its operative position,

by vertical movement of the rail base.`

Another object is to provide rail movement restraining means including a plurality of fastening members operatively engaged with a'tie or equivalent and stress equalizing means engaging said fastening means and resisting upward movement of the railvbase, whereby the upward pressure of the rail base is uniformly distributed between the fastening means.

Various other objects and the advantages of the invention may be ascertained from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In general, the invention resides in the provision of a rail holding member'anchored in operative relation to a rail in such manner as to prevent movement thereof in the direction of the rail length; to permit limited upward-movement with'the rail to enable adjustment thereof transversely of the rail into and out of rail holding position, and to restrain it against ac- 30 lever and downward thrust of the outer end of I' cidental displacement from its operative or inoprative position.

The invention is capable of a number of different embodiments of which only one is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it will be understood other embodiments and modifications of detail are possible and that the invention is not limited to the embodiment and details illustrated and described.

That embodiment of the invention now prefer-red and hereinafter described in detail comprises essentially a rail holding member or lever` extending laterally beyond a rail and movable transversely of a rail to and from operative position, in which the inner end of the holding member overlies the rail base, in commotion with a seat for the holding member iixedly related to a tie; and with anchoring means for the hol-ding member comprising fastening members iixedly related to a tie, or equivalent structure underlying the rail and arranged one on each side of the holding member thereby to limit movement of the holding member in the direction of rail length; and a fulcrum member operatively connected with said fastening members and overlying the holding member to limit upward movement of the holding member, the structure having resilient capacity, preferably arising from spring characteristic of one or both of said holding member and fulcrum member, whereby the same is tensioned by adjustment of the holding member to its operative and to its inoperative positions, and serves to releasably hold the holding member in either of said positions. The holding member seat is conveniently and preferably, through not necessarily, that portion of a tie plate which projects laterally of a rail, and the fastening members which anchor the holding the invention is not confined as other embodiments and modifications of detail are possible:-

Fig'. 1 is a side elevation of the device.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of same.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

lII designates a railway tie, I2 atie plate thereon and I3 a railv resting on the plate.

The plate is provided with spaced ribs I l defining a rail seat and forming abutmentsfor the edges of a rail base to hold the railto gauge in the well known manner. At a. suitable distance outwardly from the ribs I4, the upper surface of the plate is provided with low upstanding transverse ribs I5 which extend in the direction of rail length and parallel with the ribs I4. A holding member I6 is mounted on each end of the plate and extends longitudinally of the plate and transversely o f the rail as shown. The outer end of the member is formed to provide a convex lower surface I1 which forms a shoulder adapted for abutting engagement with the inner flank of the plate rib I5, and the length oi the member is such that, whenthe shoulder is in such abutting engagement with the plate rib, the inner end l of the member will overlie the base of a rail seated between the ribs id. The member I6 is preferably curved to conform to the outer flank of the rib i4, so that it may be supported thereon against breakage by a derailed wheel. When the plate ribs Hl extend above the upper surface of the rail base, as shown, the ribs may be notched, as at i9, to givepassage to the member i6 and enable its end i8 to make contact with the upper surface of the rail base if such contact is desired. The high ribs liillustrated are desirable and are preferred for the reason that the inner end portion of the member i6 will be shrouded in the rib notch I9 and `thereby protected by the rib and also held by the ends of the rib notch against displacement in the longitudinal direction of the rail. The formation of the member i6 may be such that its inner end portion will rest upon the upper surface of a rail base, as shown, but it will be obvious that if a rail b ase thinner than illustrated is mounted on the plate a vertical clearance will be provided between the rail base and the inner end portion of the holding member, which clearance will permit ofv limited vertical movement of the rail base before it engages the holding member. Obviously, a similar clearance may be deliberately provided between the rail base and holding member, as shown in my copending application (Case 3) executed of even date herewith, and with the effects described in that application.

The holding member is held down in both operative and inoperative positions by anchoring means comprising essentially headed fastening members 20 (or equivalent) spaced in the direction of rail length and projecting upwardly from the plate I2 on either side of the member Il between the ribs Il and I5. The heads of these fastening members preferably overlie the holding lmember and may make direct contact therewith as shown in my copending application (Case 2)v executed of even date herewith. Preferably, however, a fulcrum member 2| is provided overlying the member I6 and engaged under the heads of the members 20, whereby the upward movement` of the member 2| and therefore of the member I6 is restrained, The structure is preferably resilient to permit limited upward movement of the inner end of the holding member I 6 when the rail rises and thrusts upwardly against the` holdingmember. The resiliency is preferably provided by forming the members I6 and 2| of spring material, whereby a compound spring structure is produced, but either of the members may be rigid and resiliency obtained through the other member. Obviously, resiliency may also be obtained by interposition of spring washers between thev member 2| and the heads of the members 2l or in any other convenient manner. Preferably, the member IB is slightly arched upwardly under the member 2| as shown at 22, and preferably the member 2| is arched downwardly, as shown best ln'Flgure 3, and is bifurcated at its ends so as to embrace the means 20 to hold the member 2| against movement longitudinally and transversely of the rail. Insofar as the function of holding down the holding member is' concerned, it is immaterial whether the fastening members 2l are secured to theplate and the plate in turn secured to the tie by other means, or whether the fastening members are secured directly to the tie, but most conveniently the fastening members pass through apertures 2'4 lin the plate and are provided with portions 23 screw, threaded or otherwise suitably formed for engagement with the tie te nem the plete and members ls and zi in proper relation to the tie.' -A shoulder 2l may be provided on the fastening memberto bear downwardly on the upper surface of the plate to clamp the same rigidly to the tie and independently of.

the holding down action of the members li and 2|, which also serve to hold the plate clamped against a tie.

From the foregoing, it will be understood this invention primarily concerns the element I6 and the anchoring and seating thereof, and is not limited to the combination of this element with the member 2| or with a tie plate or with )any I duce the desired rail holding effects.

'lhe operation of the device is as follows;-

At some convenient point, such as a tie treating plant or tie storage yard, the tie plate |2 together with the members Il and 2| are secured to a tie by the fastenings 2l. The assembly may then be shipped as a unit to the point of incorporation in a railway track. In this shop assembly. the holding members I6 are arranged as shown in dotted lines at the right hand side of Figure l, so that their inner ends I8 do not overlie the rail seat between the ribs Il. This initial arrangement of the holding members permits the ties and rails to be assembled without any adjustment of the holding members or fastening means.- When the rail is seated on the plate, the operator drives onthe outer ends of the holding members and thus forces them in the transverse direction of the rail, so that the inner ends Il overlie the rail base and secure the rail to the tie plate and tie. In the inoperative position of the holding member, shown in dotted lines, Figure 1, the holding member is under compres- Asion between the overlying member 2| and the underlying portion of the tie plate. The holding member is held against movement laterally away from the rail seat by its engagement with the inner lower edge of the member.2| and is likewise held against lateral movement toward the rail-seat by location of its convex portion I1 outside of and slightly below the top of the plate rib Il. In forcing the member Ii to the operative position shown in-full lines, one or both of the members II and 2| are flexed when the portion |l rides over the plate rib i5. .When the holding member is in its operative position, it is held down against the plate by the memberV 2| and is held against lateral movement away from the rail by engagement of the portion I'I with the inner flank of the plate rib I5. The holding member is likewise held against excessive lateral movement toward the rail by its engagement with the plate` rib Il. It will be seen that the rail holding member Il is thus releasably held in its operative and inoperative positions primarily by the co-operative action of the member 2| and the plate rib I5, aisted by the reflex action of the holding member itself when the holding member is of spring material. In service, the holding members overlie the rail base and hold the rail against excessive upward movement relatively to the underlying structure. When the arrangement is such that the'holding members IO are normally pressed down upon the upper surface of the rail base, they also operatevto resist movement of-the rail in its longitudinal direction. When the rail rises from its seat on the plate as a result of wave motion or of lateral tipping, it lifts the inner end Il of the holding member I6 and this member constitutes a lever fulcrumed under the member 2| and pressing down at its convex portion I'I against the tie plate. The upward thrust of the rail transmitted through the holding member I6 is distributed by the member 2| equally between the -fastening members 20, so that both fastening members function in holding the raildown. This is a material advantage over ordinary methods of vsecuring a rail with drift spikes or screw spikes directly overhanging the rail base, for the reason that in ordinary construction it very seldom happens that both fasteningsare driven to the same extent, with the result that only one of thefastenings resists upward movement of the rail and is frequently partially withdrawn from a tie vor strained or broken when the upthrust of .the rail is more than usual. The equalzing means provided as aforesaid according to-this invention ensures the simultaneous functioning of both fastenings in resisting excessive rise of the rail; When the inner end of the holding member is raised by rail movement, the convex portion i1 rocks freely on the tie plate, so that there is substantially no wear'. Moreover, when the inner end of 'the holding member is raised by rail motion, one or both of the members I6 and 2| are flexed and thereby offer a resistance to the rail motion, which increases as the `upward vmovement of the rail increases, whereby a very great holding down force is exerted on the rail. The resilient nature of the structure interposed between the heads of the fastenings and the upper surface of the tie plate operates to hold the plate closely against a tie, regardless of upward movement of the'rail, so that rattling is prevented.

Provision of shoulders 25 on the fastenings will positively hold the plate against atie in the event of breakage of either or both of the members I6 The advantages of the invention are numerous and will `be readily appreciated by those skilled in the construction and maintenance of railway tracks, as will also the fact that numerous modiilcations are possible to adapt the invention to various conditions of use and to the widely varying requirements of different railroads. One great advantage is that the interposition of resilient structure between the rail and fastenings relieves the fastenings of fracture inducing shocks and avoids disturbance of the fastenings in a tie, while at the same time ensuring' the functioning of all fastenings intended to resist any particular rail movement. The invention presents the further great advantage of permitting shop assembly 0f the parts to a tie, thereby avoiding improper assembly and preventing loss, while at the same time facilitating assembly to and separation from a rail and prolonging the lifeof the ties by avoid- ,ing the necessity for adjusting the fastening means therein and avoiding the disturbance of the fastening means in service. The invention further enables quick and easy attachment or detachment of rails by the simple operation of forcing the holding members in the transverse direction of the rail into or out of overlying relation with the rail base as the case may be. The resilient nature of the structure and the fact that it is tensioned in either operative or inoperative arrangement ensures against accdentai movement ofthe holding member. Engagement of the holdin the notches of the plate ribs holds the holding members rigidly against movementin the direction of rail length, whereby the holding members when pressing downwardly on the rail base will resist movement of the rails in their 4longitudinal direction. The entire structure projects but very -little above the tie plate and is so completely as shown in my application (Case 3) aforesaid, for

retention by passage of a single fastening member through the slot. Furthermore, the edges of the holding member may be notched as shown in my application (Case 2) aforesaid for reception of -the fastening means to thereby positively limit movement in the transverse direction of the rail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is;-

1. In railway rail movement restraining means, the combination with a tie, a tie plate, headed fasten'ing members extending through said tie plate and arranged to secure it on said tie, and a rail supported by said tie plate; of a rail holding member extending between said fastening members and presenting its side edges to said fastening members beneath the heads thereof and a fulcrum member of semi-elliptic leaf spring form arranged in compression between the fastening member heads and said holding member resiliently constraining the holding member against displacement from,y rail holding position.

i2. A rail holding means comprising a rail holding member adapted at one end to overlie a rail base ange and having at its opposite end and one of said supporting portions being adapted for engagement with a positioning means to position the first named end of the member in rail overlying position and laterally clear of a rail;

and a fulcrum member arranged to engage the upper surface of said holding member above the unsupported portion thereof under spring pres- `ing.'members between the fastening members and sure and to yield as the holding` member is' moved to and from rail holding position. 3. A rail holding means comprising a rail holding member adapted at one end-to overlie arail base flange and having at its opposite end `and at .an intermediate point in its length, on the lower surface thereof, downwardly projecting supporting portions; and intermediate said supporting portions arportion adapted to be unsupported; one of said supporting portions being adapted for engagement with a positioning means to position the first named end ofthe member in rail overlying position and laterally'clear of a rail; and a leaf spring `fulcrum member arranged to engage the upper surface of said holding member and to be held at its ends against upward movement. 4. In railroad rail movement restraining means, in combination, a cross tie; a tie plate disposed thereon, having a .rail seat and an upstanding rib constituting a rail base iange abutment; two fastening members disposed in spaced relation extending through the said tie plate into the said tie; a rail seated on said tie plate; a rail engaging lever extending between said fastening members and having one end abutting the said tie plate and the opposite end thereof extending over the said tie plate rib and overlying the base flange of the said rail; and a leaf spring fulcrum member supported at its ends by the said fastening members and extending transversely of and bearingv under spring pressure against said lever, the said fulcrum member serving to urge the tie plate abutting end of the said lever against the said' tie plate, upon application of upwardly directed force upon the opposite end of the said lever'- caused by rocking or wave motion of the said rail.

5. In railroad rail movement restraining means, in combination, a tie plate having a rail seat; a

-lever slidably mounted for movement i'nto and out of rail holding position, supported againstl able fastening members engaging the ends of the said fulcrum member and extending through the said tie plate thereby maintaining said lever under spring pressure,

HENRY ARMSTRONG. 

